Maturity and leadership were Vic Schaefer’s biggest questions about the Mississippi State women’s basketball team prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.
Entering his sixth season at the school, Schaefer made a point to highlight those areas as keys to his team’s ability to earn a return trip to the Final Four.
Schaefer has seen a variety of ways seniors Roshunda Johnson, Blair Schaefer, Victoria Vivians, and Morgan William have provided those qualities in MSU’s run to a second-straight appearance in the Final Four. On Sunday, Vivians offered another example of how she has matured into a leader when she crossed the lane and talked to Teaira McCowan after the junior center was called for a foul contesting a shot against UCLA. McCowan didn’t agree with the call and could be seen saying, “That’s not a foul.” Instead of watching her teammate continue to get frustrated, Vivians talked to McCowan for a moment and encouraged her not to get frustrated by the call and concentrate on the next play.
The brief talk didn’t go unnoticed.
“Seeing Tori do that speaks volumes for her, her maturity, and her leadership,” Schaefer said. “It’s an emotional game. I’ve got emotional players. I’m an emotional coach, so we’re all passionate about what we do and how we do it. That was a great opportunity that Tori took upon herself to lead.”
Schaefer made the comment Tuesday during a teleconference to preview his team’s matchup at 6 p.m. Friday against Louisville in the first national semifinal in Columbus, Ohio. ESPN2 will broadcast the game.
Later Tuesday, Vivians added another award to her growing list of honors as the United States Basketball Writers Association named her a second-team All-American. She is the second MSU player to be named a USBWA All-American. LaToya Thomas claimed the honor in 2002 and 2003.
On Monday, The Associated Press named Vivians a first-team All-American. She is the first Bulldog named to the first team since 2003. The AP also named McCowan a third-team All-American and William an honorable mention All-American.
“They are very well deserved. I’m really happy for them, proud of them,” Schaefer said Tuesday when asked about his honorees. “I think it shows tremendous commitment on their part, my staff’s part, with those players.”
College Sports Madness also named Vivians a first-team All-American and ESPNW named her a third-team All-American
Vivians and McCowan were named co-Most Outstanding Players of the Kansas City Regional. In wins against North Carolina State and UCLA, Vivians averaged 19 points per game and shot 53.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. She had a game-high 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting against the Bruins to raise her season scoring average to 19.6 ppg.
Vivians’ statistics offer a deeper example of her maturation. Her 48.5-percent field goal shooting percentage, 41-percent 3-point shooting percentage, and 82-percent mark from the free-throw line are all the best marks of her career. She entered the season as a 37.4-percent shooter from the field and a 30.5-percent shooter from 3-point range.
“To improve your shooting percentage 13 percentage points from two, and I think 7 from three from junior to senior year is really astounding,” Schaefer said. “Typically, the most improvement you make is between your freshman and sophomore year, but she’s really taken off, playing with so much confidence now.”
Vivians has scored a career-best 727 points, which is fourth most in school history behind only Thomas. Her 276 made field goals also rate fourth in program annals. Vivians passed Tan White for second at MSU in career scoring with 2,481 points.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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